


Of the Twenty-Third of December and Something that Could be Good

by Thegreenofyoureyes



Series: Christmas Fics 2015 [23]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, M/M, slight angst, what even is this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-23
Updated: 2015-12-23
Packaged: 2018-05-08 22:04:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5514941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thegreenofyoureyes/pseuds/Thegreenofyoureyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke's college's LGBTQ+ club is having a party, and a certain someone that Luke would really like to see is attending.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of the Twenty-Third of December and Something that Could be Good

**Author's Note:**

> Day 23! Holy shit we're close! This one is pretty weird, huh? Tanniri on Tumblr is as well, and it's pretty rad.

Ashton had spent all day decorating the classroom for the party. The LGBTQ+ Club’s faculty sponsor was, at best, absent, leaving only the TA and the students around to do anything. Of course, having a sponsor wasn't necessary, but it gave the club some credibility and an assurance it would last past Nick Grimshaw’s reign as a teacher's assistant. 

He was a great guy, of course, but more of a dreamer than a doer. Perhaps that's why he's spent the day sitting in his chair, and suggesting things to Ashton and a lovely little lesbian named Jade Thirlwall. Ashton wasn't friends, per say, with Jade, but they were certainly friendly. And they were the only two that had showed up at all. 

At least, that's what Ashton was telling Luke. He'd only gone to the party because he knew Ashton was over involved in everything he loves, and he really wanted a chance to talk to him. Like, maybe it was a little creepy. Three hours into it, draped across a couch with the selfsame boy ranting with love about his day, he couldn't bring himself to care. 

Ashton was a crush, if put mildly. He was bubbly, and well spoken, and fast, and just about everything Luke wasn't. Complementary. He was cute, too, with big eyes, big muscles, big dimples. It was a little bit stupid, honestly, all that in the same package. 

Luke loved the club, of course. He'd poured his sweat, tears, and blood (literally, knives are sharp) into the bake sale they'd done a while back, and it was a great way to make friends and solve problems. Ashton was just a… bonus. A very, very big bonus. 

Especially now, when he was sitting upside-down on the couch next to Luke and telling him about just about everything. It was a religious experience, basically, which felt appropriate. It was, after all, two days till Christmas. All the people who could come were those who were local, or for one reason or another, not going home at all. 

The party had been Ashton’s idea. Of course. A way to provide something for those who needed it. Something warm, and positive. 

“So you worked on the bake sale with Harry, right?” Ashton said, eyes sincere in a way that seemed almost inappropriate for the mundanity of the question.

“Uh, yeah. I made a bunch of stuff with him and Michael, I mean. Well, Jade was there too, but she sort of just decorated. I didn't sell any of it though,” Luke replied. It felt a bit wrong to be talking about himself. It was nice though, that Ashton cared enough to remember. 

“That's really cool. I know H is a Culinary Arts major, but you're not, right? Do you cook a lot?”

“No, not really. But his boyfriend was out of town, so Mike and I helped just cause we didn't want him to think he was alone.”

“That's really sweet. I cook a bit. Where is Harry, anyway? I know The Boyfriend isn't coming, but he said he was.”

“The boyfriend? Like, yours?” Luke asked. Moment of truth. Of course, he was fairly sure Ashton was single. He acted single, at least. That thought didn't comfort the speedy pace of his heart at all. 

“Me? No. My last one said I'm ‘too high-maintenance’ or whatever and I've been flitting around ever since,” and Luke marked this as the first time Ashton’s eyes ever lost their shine a bit. 

“High-maintenance?” Luke said, taking the opportunity to move closer. Just a it. 

“I mean, he had a point. We won't get into it. No, I was talking about Harry’s Boyfriend. He's gone home, but H decided to stay for this. He's a weird dude.”

“I bet you're the first person to call Harry a dude since he hit puberty.”

“Listen. ‘Dude’ don't care about the length of your hair or the fact that you like pretty things. ‘Dude’ doesn't even care about gender, for me. I mean, I don't use it for people who don't like it, but everyone else? Hell yeah.”

“You know? That's fair. It's a good blanket term, isn't it?”

“Blanket term? You an English major, then?”

“No, I'm not. I think that's just, like, a turn of phrase, you know?”

“Ah. It just sounded smart, you know?” Ashton hit Luke’s thigh playfully with that. And, well, Luke was fairly sure the shorter boy was flirting. He wasn't a very tactile person at all.

“Did it?” Luke asked. 

“Yeah. I mean, maybe not. I'm a bit drunk. You are smart, though. I know that.”

“I'm not.”

“You are! Shut up. Hang on a sec,” Ashton said, shifting a bit and looking around the room before yelling “Hey! Grimmy! Get over here a second.”

The teacher’s aid came over with the haste that could only say “I wasn't invested in that conversation at all”. 

“What's up, Irwin?”

“Harry is coming, right? He said he was. Promised me he'd be wearing a really special shirt. I wanted to see it.”

“He's coming. He's just a bit late. I mean, he always is though.”

“Three hours isn't a bit late. Should we check up on him?” And that. That was what Luke loved the most about Ashton. He was lively, and loud, sure, but he was just so goddamn sweet as well. It was one in a million, Luke was pretty sure. 

“He's fine. Said he had to pick up a friend first. They probably got caught up at his house or something-” just then, the door flew open in a way only someone who knows they're expected could manage “and there he is. See? No reason to worry, love. And hey, thank you for setting up. Hope you're enjoying yourself.”

“I am. Thanks Grimmy. You're the best.”

“I know.”

It was only now that Luke bothered to look at Harry. He was, indeed, wearing a special shirt. It was his normal fancy silk, this time lined with actual Christmas lights. Only he could make it beautiful. 

“He's a wild one, isn't he?” Ashton asked Luke. He looked a bit soft, a bit gentle. Maybe he was letting his guard down. 

“Oh for sure. You into him?” Luke asked. Risky question number two. 

This one took less well. Ashton's eyes had a hard shine again, and Luke was beginning to see that Ashton’s personality was at least partially protection. It only made him want to know the older boy better. 

“Nah, I just admire him, you know? Like, he's so free. It took me three years of wanting to to start painting my nails. He wore a dress to class yesterday. It's kinda inspirational.”

“Yeah, it is. It'd be nice to just, like, do whatever you want.”

“It took him a while to get there, though, I think. He doesn't talk about it much, but The Boyfriend does. He used to be pretty self-conscious.”

“That's pretty hard to believe. I like it.”

“Yeah, me too. I mean, I'm loud and shit, and I can talk to people, but I could never be like him, you know?”

“Nah, you totally could. You're amazing.”

“Well thank you Huke Lemmings, that's very sweet of you.”

“It's Luke Hemmings.”

“I know. It was flirting, babe.” Wow. Ashton could certainly be abrupt. 

“Oh. Well. See? I'm not very smart.”

“Nah, you're still smart. Just nervous. Maybe not interested, in which case, please tell me.”

“No! No, definitely interested. Bad at this, though. I can't even flirt with girls. I've only been bi for, like, two years.”

“I think you've been bi your whole life, love. I like the phrasing, though. And there's no reason to be embarrassed. You're doing fine.”

“So… What exactly is happening?”

“Well, we’ve been taking for about an hour now, moving closer occasionally. Right now we’re doing the awkward ‘we have to decide where this goes’ talk.”

“Okay.”

“I'd like to get to know you better, Luke. You're a cool guy, and you're, like, crazy hot.”

“Okay. You are too, you know.”

“Well thank you!”

“Should we, like, get out of here, then?”

“I'd like that. Let me say goodbye to Grimmy, though.”

****  
Turns out, goodbye for Ashton is half an hour of conversation. Which was so worth it cause he smiled at least 12 times and Luke got to watch /all/ of them without it being weird. 

“Sorry about that,” Ashton said once they were outside. It was cold, and the snow on the ground brought a nice quiet. The university had paid to put up string lights around campus. It was lovely. Luke only noticed it because he hoped it would be an important detail at some point later in his life. 

“No no, it's fine. You're fine. In, like, every way,” and yeah, he was a bit drunk too. Neither of them too much, of course. They were modern citizens, who wouldn't fuck if there was a chance it wasn't consensual, but enough. 

“You too. So, your place or mine?”

“Yours. My roommate doesn't fly out until tomorrow, and he's still at mine. He'd never forgive me.”

“Who's your roommate?”

“You don't know him. I found him on Craigslist. I'm thinking of living with Mikey and Cal next year, though.”

“You should! I live alone and it gets a bit lonely.”

“I can imagine. I don't even like my roommate, but I'd be lonely without him.”

“Can I kiss you?” Ashton asked. They were under a tree near the library. The moon was just visible through the clouds, and Ashton’s lips were a bit red from the cold and from how much he kept biting them. Luke couldn't help but home this would be an important memory too. Of course he nodded. 

Ashton smelt a bit like sweat and a lot like /boy/, and he tasted like mint and whatever it was he had been sipping. It wasn't Luke’s first time kissing a boy, but he almost wished it was. It would be nice to have such a nice one for something like that. 

“Thank you,” Ashton said shyly as he pulled away. It was the first time Luke thought he had ever used that word to describe the older boy. 

“Thank you! I've been thinking about that for, like, an embarrassingly long time,” Luke replied. He brushed his hand against Ashton's a bit as they walked on. 

“Have you? Grimmy always said you were staring, but I didn't believe him.”

“You're friends with Grimmy?”

“I am. It wasn't his choice.”

“That's amazing. You're amazing.”

“So are you,” Ashton said, before leading Luke up the little staircase of a small apartment building. 

“This is a cute place. Is your door the red one?”

“Yeah, I asked the landlady if I could paint it and she said yes. Other tenants think I did it without permission cause she only wants one painted.”

“Your life is a bit funny.”

“Tell me about it,” and there was the hardening in Ashton’s eyes again. It wasn't overt, not even unfriendly, but it was certainly closed. 

“Hey, I didn't really want to ask this, but I think I have to.” They were just inside, and Ashton was putting his coat on his kitchen counter. 

“Go for it,” Ashton replied, looking at him. The worry was hidden on his face, but Luke saw it anyway. 

“I… Flitting around. That means you don't get involved, doesn't it?”

“Yeah, it does. My last one didn't end well, which I already told you cause my subconscious likes me to just tell everyone.”

“No, it's okay. It's just… I really like you, I think. I'd kinda like to know this could go somewhere, you know?”

“I get it. I um… You don't want that with me.”

“I do though! I mean, I think. We have a lot of things we both like, and you can't tell me we don't because we do, I've heard you talking about the things you like. And we, like, we have chemistry, right? You can't say we don't.”

“I can say that I'm not easy. Like, being with me isn't easy. There's a reason I live alone.”

“I have a lot of free time. I don't mind high maintenance. Please. I don't want to do this if it doesn't go anywhere.”

“Luke, we’re not doing this either way. There's something pretty icky about fucking after a conversation like this.”

“You're right. I'll go then. I'm sorry. Can we still be, like, friends?”

“We can… Fuck. Luke, that thing you just said, about having time? That's one of the nicest things anyone's ever said about me. I'm not gonna promise you a lot, but yeah, we can give this a shot. I'd be pretty sad leaving you behind.”

“Okay. Thank you. Can I grab your number?”

“Stay. We can cuddle and watch Christmas movies. Nothing sexual, though. I want you to know that what I'm saying is for real. And probably wouldn't be happening if Grimmy hadn't brought that cider. Not cause I don't want it! I'm just a fucking scaredy cat, you know? I'm not very good at letting myself risk getting hurt.”

“I've seen you on a ladder that was missing a leg.”

“Well, emotionally. All my ladders have four legs and usually I only climb the first two steps.”

“You're amazing.”

“So're you. C’mon, couch is over here. I got it with the idea that I could sleep on it, so it's pretty comfortable.”

And it was, but Ashton was more so. Luke would be going home soon, and seeing his family. Two days. They lived about an hour from his apartment, so he was driving up day of. For now, that's where home was. He had hope, however silly, that someday home could be the boy he had just settled next to. Then again, the look Ashton gave him, purely gentle, raw, sweet, made it seem like it wasn't silly at all.


End file.
